All about the deal: Crowds will endure most anything for area Black Friday bargains

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Click image to enlarge

Ryan McBride/Staff photographer
Shoppers check out the latest deals and gadgets at Best Buy in Newington during Black Friday.

NEWINGTON — From cameras to televisions to comic books and children's toys, Black Friday crowds were on the hunt for any gifts they could score a deal on, no matter how late or how early it was, or how far the lines wrapped around the stores.

“We've been packed,” said Dave Labbe, senior vice president of finance for the Kittery Trading Post. Labbe said free hay rides, the presence of a store Santa Claus, and the Don Campbell band, in addition to Black Friday deals, were shaping up to bring about a busy day.

“We'll probably see about 5,000 to 10,000 people today,” he said. “It's been crazy.”

Laurie Williams, 54, of Milton, said she started her shopping late Thursday night at 11 p.m., when she went to Kittery Trading Post for her first ever Black Friday shopping experience. After returning home at 4 a.m. Friday, she slept for some time and then went out shopping again later Friday morning at Big Lots in Rochester.

”That was my first and last time,” said Williams, who said that with crowds and long lines, Black Friday shopping was not for her. Williams did manage to pick up gifts for her grandson and son's girlfriend, who she hopes will become her daughter-in-law someday. Williams purchased Maxx the sock monkey, “My First Book” by Leapfrog and a video camera.

Fox Run Mall in Newington was expecting more shoppers than Kittery, with upward of 75,000 customers by the end of business on Friday.

“We have so many different points of entry,” Aaron Yust, director of Marketing and Business Development at Fox Run Mall, said. “It's really difficult to gauge a total.”

Yust said the mall was swamped between midnight and 3 a.m. with customers looking to gain an early start on the bargains.

“This wasn't really surprising given previous trends. It could certainly be a solid day,” Yust said, noting it was also the mall's first year opening at midnight for Black Friday. “It was a trial run, but things have been great so far.”

Midnight to 3 a.m. was also the busiest time for Newington's Best Buy, according to its manager, Mike Sargent.

“The line we had outside the door last night was pretty much what we've had in previous years,” he said, adding that it consisted of 650 to 750 customers. “We'll probably have about 20,000 people in here throughout the entire day.”

Sargent said customers who came in as the doors opened were mostly purchasing televisions, tablets and video games.

Trends at Lilac Mall's Kmart, according to store manager Vincent Paré, were kitchen appliances such as toaster ovens and microwaves, along with junior apparel.

Paré said he saw 250 to 300 people waiting outside the mall at 5 a.m. on Friday morning, expecting typical sales of clothing and electronics. He said he could not have expected the selling out of small kitchen appliances. He said Kmart would most likely sell out of toaster ovens and microwaves by 11 a.m.

“Houseware has been very good,” Paré said. “Those smaller kitchen appliances usually sell a little later.”

Lilac Mall's JCPenney store manager Jon Herrick said he sold out of all of their $8 toaster ovens and microwaves well before 10 a.m.

“When I got here, I couldn't even get across the front, so that was nice to see,” he said, noting that this year's Black Friday was slower compared to others in recent years, but far more steadier.

To keep the season of giving alive, whether sales are up or not, Ralph Dibernardo, owner of Jetpack Comics in Rochester helps local families by offering great deals, but making his customers donate to charity in order to receive the offers.

“Every year we do our best to give back as much as we can,” he said, noting 300 people had visited his store in just the first three hours of opening on Friday morning.

The store is holding a “Buy one get three free” sale on thousands of items in the store's gaming room, including graphic novels, action hero figurines and board games. The one catch to the deal, is that each person wanting to participate in the sale must bring in a new toy and one food item to be donated to local charities. By 1 p.m., Jetpack Comics had collected about $2,000 to $3,000 worth of toys for Rochester families and about $1,000 worth of food.

“It was beyond our expectations,” Debernardo said, who described his Black Friday morning as “spectacular.”

“I don't think anything has brought people to comic stores more over the past 10 years than 'The Walking Dead,'” Brunelle said.

Rochester's Kohl's shoppers were buying more than just video games and receiving deals of more than 50 percent off items.

Heather Young, 37, of Rochester, shopped for her three young children on Friday, buying clothes and Christmas wrapping paper to prepare for the holiday season. She said the lines were well worth it, with the amount of savings she was seeing.

Diane Crawford, 60, of Somersworth, was buying trendy toys for her great nephews and her goddaughter at Kohl's. Her shopping cart was packed with a Mr. Potato Head, a pink Volkswagen for Barbie and a Vteck recorder that lets children play and record music.

Crawford said Black Friday shopping has been a longtime tradition in her family. The savings at Kohl's, she said, was what drew her to the store. She said the early bird specials gave customers who arrive at the cash register by 1 p.m. an additional 15 percent off the price, with most toys already 50 percent off.

“With the economy the way it is, every little bit helps,” Crawford said.